Epidendrum pergameneum Rchb.f. 1866 GROUP Anceps SUBGROUP Polyanthum

Photo by © Bogarin and The Epidendra Website

Drawing

Drawing by © Jimenez, Hágsater & E.Santiago and The AMO Herbario Website

THROUGH MID

Common Name The Parchment Like Epidendrum [refers to the leaves appearance]

Flower Size .6" [1.5 cm]

Found in Costa Rica and Panama in cloud forests at elevations around 1700 to 2600 meters as a medium to large sized, cool to cold growing epiphyte with simple, cane-like, laterally compressed, straight stems carrying 7 to 16, distichous, all along the stem, subcoriaceous, spreading, evidently veined, lanceolate-elliptic, short-acuminate, margin entire leaves that blooms in the fall through mid spring on a terminal and lateral, compound racemose, producing new racemes from the nodes of the primary inflorescence over the years, provided with 2 to 4, imbricating, tubular oblong-triangular, acute, short, bracts terete, smooth, 15 to 20 flowers per raceme, simultaneously many flowered inflorescence with much shorter than the ovary, ovate-triangular, acute floral bracts and carrying resupinate flowers.

"Epidendrum pergameneum is part of GROUP Anceps which is recognized by the simple stems, generally elongate, compound racemose inflorescence producing new successive racemes with time, fleshy flowers, filiform to narrowly spatulate petals, and the SUBGROUP Polyanthum which has elongate, not sub-corymbose racemes.The species is recognized by the laterally compressed stems, leaves with evident venation, apical and lateral inflorescences, though these are short, verrucose-papillose sepals and ovary and the sepals .4 to .52" [10-13 mm] long and the lobes of the lip twice as long as broad. Epidendrum muricatisepalum Hágsater, an endemic from Costa Rica has laterally compressed stems, large flowers sepals .4 to .44" [10 to 11 mm] long, the ovary and dorsal surface of the sepals densely muricate-strigous, and the lateral lobes of the lip divided into variously angled, subtriangular lobes. Epidendrum polyanthum Lindl. from Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras has large plants and flowers, terete stems, and the lateral lobes of the lip semiovate with a small sinus in lhe margin. Epidendrum myodes Rchb.f. has delicate plants, terete stems, small flowers, sepals .12 to .2" [3 to 5 mm] long, and the bilobed lateral lobes of the lip with the basal lobe rounded and the long, acuminate, falcate, apical lobe." Hagsater etal 2008

Synonyms

References W3 Tropicos, Kew Monocot list , IPNI ; Repert. Sp. Nov. Regni. Veg. Beih. 19: 123. Costa Rica Schlechter 1923; Manual de las Plantas de Costa Rica Vol 3 Hammel, Grayum, Herrera and Zamora 2003; Icones Orchidacearum 7 Plate 764 Hagsater and Sanchez 2004 see recognition section; Vanishing Beauty, Native Costa Rican Orchids Vol 1 Pupulin 2005 photo fide; Icones Orchidacearum 9 Plate 963 Hagsater 2007 see recognition section; Icones Orchidaceaum 11 Plate 1156 Hagsater & Sanchez 2008 drawing fide; Orchids of Costa Rica Vol 3 Morales 2009 photo good;

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